The long wait is over and it is time for the Black Knights to finally get their college football season underway. The opponent on opening day 2017 is the Fordham Rams. This is a game that makes a lot of sense within the scheduling parameters that Army has set as Fordham is an FCS team that the Black Knights would expect to have enough quality to beat.
Army plays this game in West Point and while not the flashiest contest on opening weekend it is still great to have football back. Here are the three keys to this one:
Stop Chase Edmonds
Army may be a division above Fordham in the college football pecking order but the best player on the field on Friday night will be wearing the Rams uniform. Senior running back Chase Edmonds has caused Army issues in past meeting with Fordham and the record chasing running back is going to be tough to handle one final time as the two teams play.
Edmonds is chasing the Division 1 rushing yardage record set by Ron Dayne of Wisconsin almost 20 years ago (7,126), while also eyeing the rushing touchdown mark set by Navy’s Keenan Reynolds in recent years (88). Both those marks seem attainable for a back with a history of monster games and finding the end zone, so Army must stop Edmonds first and foremost this weekend.
Prepare to win a shootout
Army would like to attain last season’s level of defensive play again in 2017, but it is going to be difficult to match that performance out of the gate. Army lost some key contributors from that unit – especially at the linebacker position – and that may take its toll while new players settle in.
Fordham is not a team that will allow that settling in the process to be easy. They are ranked inside the top 20 FCS schools for a reason entering 2017 and their quarterback/running back combination is experienced and talented. Edmonds is joined in the backfield by QB Kevin Anderson (over 2,700 yards an 27 TDs last season) and they will score points.
Thankfully there is no reason to think Army won’t throw points right back at the Rams. The triple-option has no significant losses from the unit that was humming at the back end of 2016, so this could be a points-fest. It is one Army will win as long as they are prepared for the fight.
Win the turnover battle
Turnovers are always important, but they are magnified in Week 1 when the defenses are ahead of the offenses. These games are always unpredictable as players get used to working with each other in live game situations and there is no telling what can happen.
The continuity on offense for Army – the Black Knights return their top five rushers from 2016 – is massively important as the combinations are already in place. The Black Knights, though, are thin at wide receiver, both in terms of pass catchers and players with experience blocking downfield. That is why possession in the first week are key and keeping the ball matters even more than normal.
If the offense can remain turnover free and the defense can come up with a couple of big plays then the Black Knights will be in a great position here.
